Chapter 2

2

After a quick huddle, we decided Mr. Henderson had to be mixed up.

"What do we do, Claire?" Maya fretted. "I need that money for something important."

I reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll go see Mr. Henderson and get him to sort this out."

Mr. Henderson's place was just a block from my apartment. I hopped on my scooter and zipped over to his building. When Mr. Henderson opened the door, he raised his eyebrows, like he knew I was coming.

"Mr. Henderson, there's something up with our bonuses, it looks like you messed it up… "

He cut me off, patting my shoulder, "Claire, you’ve been a great employee. But this year, the market is killing us. My other stores are losing cash. I just don't have the money for bonuses. But hey, next year, when things bounce back, I promise to make it up to you."

I knew about his other stores. But our store was killing it! I mean, my sales alone were at four million. He'd pocketed a cool million on that alone! Plus, he was the one who offered us the five percent commission in the first place, which pushed us to work so hard! That five percent was something we deserved, and his other store losses shouldn't be our problem.

"That's not fair. Our numbers are separate," I argued. "You promised us five percent..."

Mr. Henderson's face hardened. "Okay, look, Claire," He pulled me into the stairwell and discreetly slipped two thousand dollars into my hand. "I'm giving you two grand. You're a senior employee, so keep this quiet. Especially from my wife, okay? This is my secret stash."

He turned and walked in, shutting the door before I could even react.

I stared at the two-thousand-dollar transfer on my phone. It felt like a slap in the face. Like I was being given scraps. That twenty-grand bonus was rightfully mine!

Maya called me back a little later.

"Hey, Claire, what's up? Did Mr. Henderson say when we get our bonuses?"

"Maya... the bonuses, they're gone."

"What?! Why? I need that money for my mom's operation!"

Maya hung up and rushed over to my place. Her eyes were red when she came in. “Claire, what’s going on? How can he do this? He promised us that five percent commission!"

"I told my mom I’d use my bonus for her operation!" Maya was crying, tears streaming down her face.

Maya’s a small town girl, her family has always been short on cash. Her dad got killed in a hit-and-run when she was little. They never caught the guy because there were no cameras. Her mom raised her all by herself. When Maya finally got a job, her mom was diagnosed with stomach cancer. The doctors said surgery would drastically improve her chances.

Maya was sobbing, her voice breaking, "Without the bonus, how will my mom get her operation? He promised the five percent, how can he just go back on his word?"